EBay Asks Users to Fight National Sales Tax Bill (WSJ)
eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) +1.67% is trying to enlist its users in a fight against a national online sales tax bill. The company on Sunday said it sent tens of millions of emails urging its active U.S. sellers to push for changes to a bill now before Congress that would allow all states to collect sales tax from online merchants, whether they have operations in that state or not. EBay said the bill’s sales threshold for triggering the tax is too low. “The legislation treats you and big multi-billion dollar online retailers–-such as Amazon—exactly the same,” said John Donahoe, eBay’s chief executive, in one of the emails. He said only businesses with at least $10 million in annual out-of-state sales, or 50 or more employees, should qualify for sales tax, compared with the $1 million sales threshold in the bill.
Is eBay a Real Powerhouse on the Stock Market? (Business2Community)
When it comes to the recent pullback in the market, many people naturally wonder if this is the time to start accumulating certain companies, especially technology stocks. The answer, of course, is far more complicated. Obviously, each individual must assess their goals and risk profile before considering any investment. One company that I have liked over the past few years has been eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY). While many people believe eBay is still primarily a place to sell your knick-knacks, they’re wrong. During the latest quarter, the company reported total revenues were up 14% year-over-year. (Source: “Q1 2013 financial highlights,” eBay Inc. web site, April 17, 2013.)
In eBay’s kitchen: Saving the earth, one edamame burger at a time (BizJournals)
The head chefs at eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) are experimenting with new dishes to lower the carbon footprint of the roughly 1,200-1,300 meals prepared daily at the San Jose campus on North First Street. Executive Chef Bob Clark of Bon Appetit Management – the Palo Alto-based catering company that runs the food operation for employees of eBay and PayPal Inc. – took me on a tour to see the company’s two cafes and outdoor garden. Also on the agenda: demos of two low-carbon dishes. Edamame and carrot burgers with high-fiber vegetables replaced much less environmentally friendly beef and cheese, while smoothies were made with almond soy milk instead of regular dairy.
Overstock.com Rating Increased to Buy at Bank of America (OSTK) (UtahPeoplesPost)
Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) upgraded shares of Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSTK) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Friday, TheFlyOnTheWall.com reports. They currently have $20.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $12.00. “Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSTK) reported Q1 rev/adj. EBITDA of $312mn/$12mn, above our $282mn/$8mn ests. The top-line beat was due to higher than expected partner rev growth of 22% y/y vs. 9% estimate while the bottom-line benefited from better operating expense control. We believe strong Q1 results are not just a head fake (something Overstock has been notorious at doing in the past) but believe the company is turning the corner as will continue to benefit from easy y/y comps, better controlled operating expenses, and new marketing and growth initiatives.,” Bank of America’s analyst wrote.
Email Marketing Gone Wrong (Business2Community)
I love Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSTK) Tons of the furniture items and things throughout my home were ordered from the site. Quality is always good, I get the stuff fast and the prices are perfect. But lately I’m a bit confused by their email campaigns. …The image here in this post is from a recent email but I must’ve received at least 15 of these ‘limited time’ sales emails over the last month. That is nearly every single day I am receiving an email. Guess what is happening? I’m ignoring them because I know the sale is not over forever. The first email I hesitated on hitting the delete key and almost clicked-through to take advantage. But after the 5th email stating that I had just another 24 hours to take advantage, I stopped believing it was true. I know that there will be more and I don’t need to act now. The entire point of offering a sale for a ‘limited time’ is lost because Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSTK) is not staying true to their word.
